Kingdom Hearts III: The Five Keybearers
by Paulagirl
Summary: So...another KH3 fic...well, same plot that comes from the King's letter...but, there's a fifth keybearer....ooooh! Pairings: Sora/Kairi..mostly Riku/OC -this one was uploaded before, but now it's waaaay better -
1. Chapter 1: A Hidden Message

((A/N: Yes, it's me again...okay, I'm re-writing this story, because A. The first one was crap since I was up late at night, and B......a better version was on my mind ^^ Anyhoo...

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts in any way at all...sad, ain't it?

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Chapter 1: A Hidden Message

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"_W-w-we're back."_

"_You're home." A red-headed girl sighed as she held her hand out towards the smiling boy in front of her, who was sitting in the water next to an anthropomorphic dog and duck. He gladly took the hand with great enthusiasm and stood up. Sora, Kairi, and their friend, Riku, were finally glad that they were reunited again after the final battle. With the worlds at peace, the three friends could go back to their normal lives....._

That had been almost over two months ago, as the three teenagers tried to go back to their normal lives after Xemnas' defeat. Key word being, _tried_. As easy it looked, they really couldn't adjust to the simple, calm, and normal life on Destiny Islands. It just wasn't that simple. For each one, it was a different situation, but it was pretty much the same.

Kairi couldn't help but keep checking on Sora and Riku practically all of the time when they were together. She feared that if she looked away from them, they might go away and leave her again-- willingly or not. So, she made sure that she kept watch on the both of them, just to make sure they'd never leave home...at least not without her, of course.

Sora, on the other hand, still kept his happy-go-lucky demeanor, even when facing his parent's reaction to him coming home for the first time within a year. In a synopsis, they flipped out, but tears of joy and sorrow came afterward. Yet, there were some days where he would seem serious, and would watch the sky almost every night. He passed this off to everyone, saying he was just star-watching, but it was not entirely true. He was checking to make sure no other worlds left to be lost to darkness.

As for Riku, he'd become more quieter and even more pensive than he was a year ago. Being around in the realm of darkness would do that to a person, although Pete wasn't the best example. There would often be times where Riku kept glancing over his shoulder, as if expecting for something to come at him...or to make sure that his new life back on the islands wasn't all a dream. It took some convincing from his younger two friends to prove this otherwise, but he became less apprehensive with each day.

Then, one day...everything changed due to a simple message in a bottle.

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Sora held his hands behind his head, the fingers slightly tangled in the spikey-brunette's locks, as he walked towards the secret cave. Kairi had been hinting all week about how he should go check it out, at least for ol' time's sake. When he asked, she just shrugged her shoulders as a reply. He would've asked her to go with him if Selphie had came along, wanting to show the red-head something. So, he went alone.

It felt odd, coming back to this place after all this time. Sora now, was surprised that he hadn't came to the secret cave once he and Rike came back to the islands in the first place. Then again, what else was there to see? All that was there were the cave drawings made by practically every one on the island, including him and Kairi. It wasn't much, but it was history. He smiled to himself as he remembered the small doodles of a self-portrait that they made of eachother when they were very little. And that's when it hit him-- even the addition that he made last year was there too!

Quickly, he broke into a sprint and started to head for the entrance of the secret cave, though he had to duck a couple of times as hanging branches had almost hit him in the face. Almost, but not quite. Many thoughts ran through his mind as he began to wonder if Kairi had seen the drawing. More than likely, since she had been on the island since the worlds were at peace and up until Axel had kidnapped her. If that was the reason why she was dropping hints about coming, Sora couldn't even picture what her reaction was when she first saw it.

Cheeks grew red and his skin became hot just as the cool air inside the cave blew against his face. The air was refreshing, but Sora didn't want to bask in it's breeze, as his mind was already anxious enough.

He slowed down and placed his hand along the wall, running his fingers over the drawings made many years ago, as he walked further and deeper into the cave.

A smile grew on his face, giggling a little at some of the 'art' that was there, and then some that were just...well....there. He was very glad to see them again, all of them brought back happy memories, until he reached the end of the cave. Sora's eyes widened as he reached it, the drawing that had his little addition.

He kneeled down in front of it, staring at it as he remembered the day he and Kairi drew eachother as though it was just yesterday. Then, it was then that his ocean blue eyes noticed the additions that were there. Wait...additions? He had only made one, and it was his hand that was giving her a star, which was supposed to be the legendary Paopu fruit.

But then, who drew Kairi's hand giving him one? That's when it had hit him again; it was Kairi who drew the hand! So that was why she kept hinting to him about visiting their secret place.

At that moment, only one thing crossed his mind.

_She likes me! She likes me! She really, truly, likes me! I'm the luckiest guy in the world!_

Okay, four things...three if you count the first two being the same idea. If Sora's smile was already wide, then the new one that replaced it was growing wider with each minute he gazed at the drawing. Lucky for him that Riku didn't see this.

Now that the drawing was there, all Sora had to worry about now was actually saying it in the open.

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Riku had been sitting at the top of the large Paopu tree's huge crooked trunk that he and his friends had sat upon a lot of times in their younger years, watching the day end. He was doing the same thing. He watched the calm blue waves crash against the white sand before receding back into the ocean again, repeating their serene movements. The surface reflected the bright orange glow that came from the sun that was setting into the sky above the sea. Riku breathed in and out slowly, enjoying the warm breeze as it blue against his silvery white bangs and hair. He didn't even move his emerald eyes when he heard loud footsteps coming towards him, no doubt they would belong to his spikey-haired friend. The boy's huge shoes were sometimes a dead give-away.

As Sora stopped at the tree, he jumped on top, and then hopped on over the tree, leaning against it with his hands behind his back. There was still a huge grin upon the boy's face as Riku spoke.

"Nothing's changed, huh?"

"Nope. Nothing will." Sora agreed, while Riku smiled.

"Heh...What a small world."

"But...part of one that's much bigger." A long pause came over the two of them before Sora spoke again. "Hey Riku? What do you think it was, the Door to Light?"

Riku jumped down from the tree with a small chuckle, before tapping the center of Sora's chest with a knowing smile. "This."

"This?"

"Yeah. It's always closer than you think." It took a moment, but Sora slowly nodded along with Riku, and the two boys smiled in understanding. Just then, a shout had called to their attention.

"Sora! Riku!" Heads both turned to see that the owner of the voice was none other than Kairi, who waved at them while running towards them. When she finally reached them and stopped to catch her breath, Sora's heart slightly leaped, now aware of her subtle drawing. But, he pushed this aside, as she had something in her hand, and she looked excited.

"What's up?" He asked. Kairi looked up once she regained a normal breathing rate, and held up a bottle.

"Look." Inside, it was just an ordinary piece of parchment....but this parchment had small mouse symbol on it.

Sora's eyes widened as he gasped. "From the King?" He quickly took the bottle and uncorked it, pouring the note out for them to read together. As his blue eyes scanned it, a pair of green and a pair of violet eyes joined him in reading the letter.

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_Dear Sora, Riku, and Kairi_

_I hope you three are enjoying back home, I know I am with Queen Minnie. It's been awhile since being back at Disney Castle, but I'll have to leave it again. You see, I'm afraid that we're just not done yet with saving the worlds. Sure, they're at peace, but I've got that same feeling inside that appeared around the same time one year ago. _

_It first started within the second week here at Disney Castle, when Dr. Ludwig von Drake and I were in the library. He was showing me some new books he had gotten for the castle, along with his new telescope to inspect the stars as well. Then, one night, I peeked through it up at the sky and a few stars started to go out. At first notice of this, I went to contact my teacher, Master Yen Sid--by the way, he says hello. Anyway, he confirmed my suspicions and told me to inform you three of this._

_We haven't got a clue as to why this is starting up again, but one thing's for sure, it can't be good. The Heartless and Nobodies are on the rise again, so you'll need to be prepared. Plus, even though Organization XIII is vanquished, I have a feeling that something else is just waiting on the sidelines._

_As of right now, I'm writing this from Master Yen Sid's tower, and he's gaining new information by the day. I'll have to leave him though to find some research on my own, but you'll be able to get the new scoop once you meet him. In fact, he's very interested in meeting all three of you; Sora, Riku...and Kairi._

_By the way, that reminds me. Riku, I need you to give Kairi that keyblade you gave her to use in The World That Never Was. As it turns out, it's her's, but it called to you at the moment. I'll need you and Sora to make sure she gets some training in with her keyblade because we'll need her for this journey. _

_So, with that said, the Gummi-Ship will probably arrive in two weeks. Maybe longer than that since Chip and Dale's friend, Gadget, keeps tinkering with the ship's engine. If there's any problems, don't hesitate to see Cid, since that'll most likely be your next stop. _

_I don't know when we'll meet up again later in this journey, but remember this: No matter where we go, we'll never forget eachother. So don't be discouraged!_

_Signed, Mickey._

_PS.- Sora, don't worry about Kairi. She'll be fine; as you said, she's a lot different now._

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Three pairs of eyes looked up from the letter, each with a different reaction to their friend's message. Riku nodded with no doubt, knowing that the King knew what he was doing—sort of. Kairi felt a little anxious and a bit unsure about all of this, but she was more determined than ever. And Sora...well, there was no expression in the worlds that could show what he felt at that moment.

His mind was split into two different sides. The first side was very excited, and glad that he would be able to travel with his friends along with Donald and Goofy to worlds old, and new. Another adventure for all of them, saving the worlds and meeting new people. Then, there was the other side that summed up most of his feelings: fear.

It wasn't that Sora was afraid for himself, or Riku's since they were both very skilled with their keyblades. No, it was for Kairi that he was scared for. More than anything, he wanter her safe and sound, and out of harm's way. If he could, Sora would actually lock and enclose all of Destiny Islands into a huge bubble of some sort to keep enemies away...with Kairi inside as well. He had already lost her—twice, and he didn't want to go through with it again. Knowing her, she'd probably want to go anyway, wanting to help as much as she did almost three months ago. Sora sighed to himself, now thinking of what his heart would say in this internal discussion.

_Let her come...._

Riku looked between the two 15-year-olds, knowing that this journey would affect them two the most. He couldn't help but feel jealous at their relationship, but he shrugged it off as he quietly backed away from the two; glad for Sora's small daze and Kairi re-reading the letter over again.

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Hands in his pockets, Riku walked along the deck towards the shores of the island, lost in his thoughts. Although what King Mickey had written was indeed important, that was the furthest thing from his mind. All he could think about, was Sora and Kairi.

It made him laugh a bit, recalling on past memories of how he and Sora would compete for Kairi's attention and affection. Most of their 'battles' were just for fun, but there were some that were in fact real. It wasn't until just when he and Sora were about to be separated by the Door to Darkness, did he realize how much Kairi meant to Sora. Well, actually it was around the time when the spikey-haired lad had sacrificed his own heart for the girl, but it was all the same. In fact, he knew that Sora cared more about Kairi than Riku did, which helped him come to his conclusion about his feelings for the girl. Now, it felt more like a brother-sister relationship, something that grew and turned away from his once-upon-a-crush on Kairi, and he was fine with that. At least now, Sora wouldn't have to worry about competition on winning Kairi's heart....but Riku figured that Sora already had.

Without realizing it, Riku came upon the place that started it all: the secret cave. It was here that his curiousity for the other worlds grew. It was here that he acted upon his own selfish need to open the door, with no way of knowing how to close it. It was here, where he decided to throw himself amidst the darkness...It was here, that his heart delved into darkness.

The memories flowed in quickly into his mind as fast as the cool cave's breeze went against him. Both were cold, yet somewhat unexpected. A frown creased across his face as he remembered how arrogant he was. Thinking that everyone he knew had turned their back on him, and Maleficent was his only friend, when it was completely the opposite. It had almost cost him his own heart until he knew it was all a lie and fought back. Then, when the same feelings of dread almost made him lose himself to darkness...it was Namine who told him not to lose his light, referring to Kairi.

He kept that in mind, but Kairi was truly Sora's light, his drive that kept the Kingdom Key-bearer going. Although she had also kept Riku going, he knew that she wasn't his true light.

But then, who was? Was there someone out there that he had never met that would give him the same feeling as Kairi did, but more than the sibling-feeling? He didn't know, but the future did always hold in surprises.

The dreaded door came into view as he ventured further in the cave, noticing that it was shut again, but it wasn't locked. Shaking his head, figuring that Sora had probably forgotten to lock it, he summoned Way to the Dawn, and pointed it at the door. The key-hole shape formed against the wood, and a white glow came from it. Riku's keyblade reacted with it's own beam of bluish light that was twilight, and it shot towards the keyhole, sealing it and making it vanish without a trace.

Satisfied, he turned his head to see if anyone was coming, but there was no one. Knowing Sora, he was probably still trying to confess his feelings to Kairi, or at least try to dance about the words. So, Riku sat down onto the cave's cool sandy floor, deciding to wait a little while before going back to his friends...plus, he wanted to take a little rest. It wasn't before long, did sleep claim his conscious.

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_He found himself in darkness, surrounded by every inch of it, yet none of it actually touched him. This darkness....it felt very different than the usual darkness he was used to, as he traveled about the Realm of Darkness for longer than most people, so it must've been a dark room. Riku could see himself, however, no lost appendages or anything, but nothing else besides his body._

"_Hello?" He called out. "Anyone there?" No answer, except for a small chuckle coming from completely nowhere....and it sounded feminine._

_Then, it was followed by a bright flash of light, it was so bright that Riku had to shield his eyes for a moment, before it died down. When the light faded, he opened his eyes again and there stood the light, but in a figure a few inches shorter than him, but taller than Sora's height. The figure bore a ponytail, and a girlish shape, so Riku figured that it was obviously a girl. The white light that the girl was covered in was still too bright for him to make out a face, skin tone, or any other features, but then half-way down the middle, one side turned into a bluish light. Mixed with the pure white light, it almost reminded him of a in-between lights; twilight in a way._

_The girl turned on her heel, back facing towards him, and just before Riku could reach out to her, she walked away._

"_Wait. Wait!" He called out to her, now running to keep up, but she too, broke into a sprint. So, there they were, running in the darkness with him chasing her, and she ever remaining aloof. The mystery girl seemed to pay no heed to his cries, but Riku could've sworn he heard her calling._

"_Riku....Riku....Riku...."_

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((And there you have it ladies and gentlemen...hmm, this one seems a lot more better than the last one....and a bit longer if I may add. Poor Riku, makes you want to hug him (grabs a Riku plushie and squeezes the living daylights out of it) tee-hee...

Anyway, you know the drill...sort of.....Read and Review!

V See the button? It's wanting you to click it...please?)))


	2. Chapter 2: Only in My Dreams

(And here's Chapter 2! Hm...only one review so far...oh well, there's like a billion and one different "Kingdom Hearts III" fics...so, at least someone's reading mine. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, or the characters...only the two that appear in this chappie.

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Chapter 2: Only in My Dreams

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"And so class, if you take the square root of 144..." The teacher of the classroom droned on, his voice barely getting inside his student's minds. Many of them stared back with a blank expression, the words going in one ear and out the other; others, pretended to write down what he was going over. He didn't blame them though, since this was the last week of the school year.

They were bored out of their minds, for not only was this Friday would be the last day, but also, since they had exams the week prior. Even though school was near over, the curriculum suggested that every teacher in the high school spend the last week of school with meaningless review. It was tedious, as the teachers would even agree with this, but through their pay-checks, they learned to never question the school board.

He looked away from the chalkboard, every once or so to see if the class was paying attention. Some actually were; some really weren't. Pushing the glasses up the bridge of his nose, he went back to writing more equations on the board.

Somewhere among the Sophmores-soon-to-be-Juniors, sat a young girl, her focus clearly somewhere else than the lesson. She leaned forward on her desk, both elbows on the desk. One of them was bent, so she could rest her head on her hand. Her skin was a warm complexion, caramel-brown with arms and legs a little darker than her face, due to sun exposure. Black ebony hair was pulled back into a ponytail, held by a yellow scrunchie that stood out against her hair. The only thing that was put out of place from her ponytail, was the bangs that covered her forehead, along with two long parts that were in front of her ears, almost hiding the three piercings in each ear.

Slightly brown-tinted scarlet eyes gazed outside the window, clearly in a daydream.

A small sigh came from her mouth as her eyebrows creased into a frown. Outside the window, a dog was sniffing around, probably tracing a scent it had found earlier. But behind it, a pair of yellow eyes were watching it...and waiting.

The girl tilted her head to the side, now interested in this, but she turned her head forward facing the teacher as to not draw any attention. When she looked back at the window, the pair of yellow eyes had an owner: a small, impish, black, shadow creature that was now about to advance on the dog. The poor animal hadn't seen what was coming to him.

As the shadow creature pounced, the dog just managed to turn around just in time to defend itself. But as the two made contact, the fight didn't last long. Once the dog tried to bite, giving the shadow a chance to sink it's now formed claws into the dog's chest, it was all over. Her eyes widened in shock as she watched the creature pull out the claws in one swift motion, a glowing pink heart. When she blinked, the dog and the shadow...and heart were gone. Red amber eyes blinked once, then twice, trying to comprehend in what had just happened.

"Hey Hina, come on. It's time to go home."A boy she knew who sat next to her, Shiro, laid a hand on her shoulder as he called out to her.

Hina turned around. "Didn't you see that?"

"See what?"

"That! That...thing, it jumped on that dog out there," she pointed a dark-toned finger towards the window. Shiro looked towards the window as well, but he saw nothing.

"I don't see anything...What was it?"

"It looked like a shadow...Like a mix between a gremlin and a gimp." Her friend frowned a little, before placing a hand on her head.

"You feeling all right, Hina?" She smacked his hand away as she stood, her height somewhat noticibly taller than his..maybe about five inches.

"Yeah....it was probably nothing," Hina agreed, picking up her bag before adding quietly to herself, "..I hope."

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Hands placed behind her head with the black ponytail covering her dark skinned hands, Hina walked beside Shiro as they went up the hill. It was easy for her to keep her hands free as she preferred the actual backpack; Shiro, on the other hand, liked his messenger-bag, though he had to keep shifiting the strap every once in a while. When he wasn't messing with his strap, he stared at Hina for a while, looking to be deep in thought.

Finally feeling his gaze, Hina opened one eye. "What?"

"Nothing...just, what was that all about? In the classroom?" Hina paused before letting her hands down at her sides, the fingers just brushing against the tip of her red-and-gray plaid pleated skirt. This was her uniform, along with the white blouse and red-and-gray striped tie. Shiro mirrored her outfit, only with dark gray pants instead.

"I told you: it's probably nothing, but.."

Shiro stepped closer, his bright green eyes looking at her vacant yet thoughtful expression. "But?" He pressed on. Her red eyes looked at him for a moment, and then she turned on her heel, walking off of the paved road towards a tree that was off to the side. She took off her bag and sat down, near the large oak's roots, before drawing her legs up and wrapping her arms loosely around them. Shiro came over and sat next to her, taking off his bag as well.

"Well, it's....did you ever dream that there was more than just where we lived? Like, other worlds than just our own. More than just Rainbow Canyon." The two of them looked over the hill, into the valley that Hina spoke of.

Buildings were scattered across the landscape; some big, some small. Normal sized buldings with houses and such. Patches of grass were here and there, but it was mostly paved roads and sidewalks with the exception of a small river that cut this way and that through the town, which gave it's water-supply. It came from a huge lake that was up in the north part of the valley, and there was a huge waterfall that cascaded from a huge cliff above. The same cliff was connected to some other cliffs that surrounded the town into it's own valley within the canyon. And at the top of the waterfall, there was an everlasting rainbow that would shine day and night, which gave the town's name.

Shio tilted his head to the side, before looking towards Hina again. "Maybe. I've always wondered where the water came from that made the waterfall, but there's no hint of it in any of the books the town has."

Hina smiled as she ruffled her friend's short, shaggy, chestnut hair. "Exactly! Heh...I can't believe I sometimes wonder why you skipped the third grade just to be in my class."

Shiro shrugged as his cheeks turned pink against his tan skin in modest. "I dunno...I'm kinda smarter than most 15 year-olds."

The 16 year-old stood up, with a thoughtful grin. "Perhaps....but sometimes, you really are simple." Shiro frowned in confusion as she grabbed her bag.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Mmm....nothing." And with that, she broke off into a sprint, leaving her friend scrambling to his feet to run after her.

"No fair!" He yelled as he started to run. "You've got a head start!"

"So?"

"So?..You're legs are longer than mine!" Hina laughed as she ran into town with Shiro in tow, and the two went to their respective homes.

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"Mom? I'm home." Hina called out into the one-level house, only to be answered with silence. Sighing,

instantly taking off her shoes, she headed towards the kitchen. There, hanging right next to the refrigerator, was the answering machine and it's blinking light. Reaching with one caramel-brown finger, she pressed the "play" button.

"_You have one new message." _The machine beeped. Then in her mother's voice, it said:

"_Hi Hina, it's mom...Listen, they've called me back to the Rehab center for a couple more hours. There's money on the fridge if you want pizza, okay? See you soon."_

The machine beeped once more as she looked over at the fridge. Yep, the money was right there just like her mother said. Hina looked towards the kitchen tiles for a moment, before heading into the living room, not feeling that hungry.

This was a normal routine for her; come home alone while mom was at work, leaving her all alone...It wasn't bad though, but sometimes she would feel lonely. Her mother was and always has been, single, and Hina herself was the only dependent on her mother. Some of the people she knew were a little envious that she didn't have to worry about any sibling trouble.

Plopping down onto the sofa, she lied on her back and turned her head towards the t.v. However, she hadn't been able to turn it on, as sleep soon over came her.

%&%

"_Where...am I?" She found herself swirling around in darkness, she was wide awake, but all she could see was black, aside from clothes. "Guess it's not a power-outage," she muttered, noticing that she was in her everyday clothes._

_It consisted of a hoodie that had a purple torso, gray sleeves that ended at her elbows, and a purple hood, with a yellow trim. Blue shorts with the cuffs rolled up and a silver belt with a purple/yellow bag hanging on it. Also, on her right wrist, there was her semi-bracelet/sweat band that had a crown on it. Her hair was in the same fashion like always, though._

_Hina checked herself over, noticing that she was fine...until she started falling backward—slowly at that. "Okay...am I in the matrix?"_

_She did a few turns while falling and a few sommer-saults until her feet landed on the ground. "Probably not." As she took one step, doves appeared from the ground, flying away while she sheilded her eyes in response. When they left, Hina saw a spikey-haired boy that took up most the the floor._

_The whole floor looked to be like a picture; one of those stain glasses that one would see in a church. It was illuminated by a light from somewhere above, so she was able to see her surroundings better. Deciding to inspect the place, Hina walked about the floor. The majority was covered by the spiked- boy, his eyes were closed as he held a huge key in his right hand. She raised an eyebrow at noticing he was wearing a red jumpsuit with a blue jacket._

"_Who wears jumpsuits anymore?" She asked as she noticed four bubbles near the boy's head. Each one was a head-shot of two other people...and a dog and a duck. One of the persons was a girl with short cropped red hair and violet eyes. The other was of a silver-blond boy with green eyes. Then, towards the bottom, five new bubbles appeared._

_As she grew closer towards the bottom of the picture, and laughing at noticing the spiky-boy's huge yellow shoes, she saw it were older pictures of them. The red-haired girl had longer hair; the white-blond boy did as well; and the spiky-haired boy's spikes...were slightly longer, but he did look a bit older, probably a year. The fourth head-bubble had a mouse who looked more serious than ever. And the fifth one...well, it was just a silhouette of someone's head, nothing more._

"_Huh." She frowned, crossing her arms until a voice from nowhere made her jump._

"_**Darkness is everywhere..." **The voice said. **"But there is always light to help it seem not so bad." **Then, just out of nowhere like the voice, a door appeared in sparkles of light, and before Hina could ask, the voice continued. **"Go on...."**_

_She went through, and closing the door behind her, it vanished in the sparkles of light once more. Hina was yet again, standing upon another stain-glass floor. This time, the silver-blond boy took up the majority, and the first thing Hina saw—and giggled at, were the puffy parts of the boy's pants. He looked to be about Shiro's age, with his eyes closed and holding a sword in his right hand....it looked incomplete though, until small particles of it were rearranging it. _

_Before, the sword was a huge dragon wing with an eye at the hilt, and nothing more. Now, it had an Angel's wing on the Dragon's wing, looking like a key almost; the hilt was now made of one side of black feathers, and the other side had white feathers. There was also a key-chain, but it was hidden amongst the boy's clothes. _

_Near the top, were another pair of head-shot bubbles. The younger versions of the spiky-boy and red-head girl were in two; the others, had the mouse in one, and a man in the other. The man looked mysterious, his face covered completely with red bandages and his eyes glowed a creepy yellow amber amidst the dark shadows on his skin. _

_Hina turned her head to look at the boy that took the majority, raising an eyebrow at now the yellow tee-shirt with belts that he wore. So far, she had now came across two boys with questionable fashion sense, but she dared to look towards the bottom. The same five people were in the bubbles: the spiky-brown boy; the red-haired girl; the silver blond; the mouse; and the silhouette. _

"_**When we need aid in battle, it's best to choose a weapon that reflects on our inner strength."** The voice came again, startling her as well. **"Choose...." **Three weapons appeared and floated in the air. They were a shield, a sword, and a wand. All of them, had a mouse symbol somewhere upon them._

_Hina titled her head to the side, considering her choices. "Hmm...I can't decide. I'm more of a fighter, but I like the shield too....Can't I have both?" She called out to the voice._

"_**No,"** The voice replied._

"_Why?"_

"_**Because..."**_

"_Because, why?"_

"_**Just because...it doesn't work that way. Now choose."**_

"_Fine, fine, have it your way," She sighed, before heading towards the sword. She looked back at the shield once more before grabbing the sword, and it disappeared without a trace in her hand. Just as soon as the last bit of light faded away, another door appeared. Without a second thought, Hina went right to it and went through._

_After the door faded away, her amber red eyes glanced at the floor. This time, the red-haired girl dominated the picture; it was the younger version of herself as she still had the cropped hairstyle. She didn't have a weapon in her hand, but instead, held a pure white heart in both of her hands. Like the previous two, the girl had four bubbles near the top next to her head. The two boys from before were in the first two; a crudely made drawing of two heads holding two stars in one, and the other, had a man with silver-gray hair and a sinister smile. Hina shuddered at the sight of him, something about his gaze was too evil. She turned to glance at the bottom, seeing the same five figures in their same five bubbles. The two boys, the girl, the mouse, and the mystery person. _

"_**To save the worlds, Light is always needed..."**As the voice said this, the spiky-haired boy appeared in front of her, now in his older-self. He wore a black jacket with a blue shirt; black pants to match with red bags on each leg. No jumpsuit was on him this time, which made Hina nod with approval._

"_**...But, of course, with Light, Darkness is needed to balance it out...."** Then, right beside him in another flash, the mouse appeared. He wore all red: red shirt, red shorts, and bright yellow shoes. He wasn't that very tall, only coming up to maybe Hina's thigh...and, now that she thought about it, the spiky-boy wasn't taller than her either. He was probably five inches shorter at the least. The two then disappeared in a bright flash._

"_**There are also those who's hearts contain no darkness at all; only pure of light. They are the Seven Princesses of Heart, but only one of them, can fight in their name..." **A flash of light occurred to prove the voice's point, as the red-haired girl, the older version, appeared. She had a sweet, kind face, while wearing a pink dress with a white undershirt and a bag on her belt. Then, as easy as she appeared, she vanished._

_The silver haired boy appeared in front of her, it was the older version of him as well. His hair was indeed long, his bangs just barely covering his bright green eyes. He wore a yellow and black jacket, along with baggy blue jeans and sneakers. He was the only one she seen that was actually taller than her, which made her raise an eyebrow._

"_**..But, there are those who belong to both aspects: Light and Darkness. They wield the power that is Twilight, but...for every way to the dawn..."** The silver-boy disappeared without a trace, and when the new figure appeared, she gasped. **"...There needs to be a trail of sunset..."** The new figure was actually herself._

%&%

"Hina, Hina! Wake up..."

"Wha-what?" She opened her eyes and were instantly met with a pair of gray ones looking at her. As she sat up, her mother stood up straight again.

"You were asleep on the couch., and you looked like you were having a nightmare...Is something wrong?"

"No. . ." Hina replied, looking away as she swung her legs over._ 'It was all a dream?...'_, she thought, _'But it seemed so real...'_ She stood up and stretched before turning towards her mother. "Hey mom...I'm gonna go to bed." She grabbed her bag and headed down the hall towards her room.

As she went to the bathroom to change for bed, many things ran through her mind. All of them had to do with that strange dream she had, and what she saw earlier at school.

"Darkness and Light...What the heck was all that about?" Hina asked herself as she put on her night shirt and shorts. Going into her room, which was right across the hall from her bathroom, Hina sat near the window, right on her bed which was underneath it.

Leaning on the window-sill, she muttered, "I wonder if that shadow had something to do with it." She looked up and out the window, towards the huge waterfall, seeing the soft, night-colored rainbow that shimmered under the moon's light in the sky.

"Maybe it's all nothing...just something that's only in my dreams." Hina looked back down before resting her hands on her folded arms that were on the sill.

The experience left her still confused, but there was some comfort that she gained from it all. One, being that she might have the adventure she had always wanted. And two, for some reason, the blond-boy's eyes reminded her greatly of Shiro's....

%&%

((And that's chapter two for you...folks. Lol....this chapter also was way better....but there were some things that were wrong with it...anyway, if any of you can guess what Hina means in Japanese, which is why her name is that, I'll give you a shout out!

Oh...and I've already named her keyblade....it's somewhere in this chapter, and if you can guess that one....I'll give you another shout out too ^^

Readin' and Reviewin'...um...still gotta work on that jingle ^^; please R&R!))


	3. Chapter 3: Training Tactics

(Woo...all right, I'm finally updating this...I meant to do it two weekends ago, but it was my family reunion...and I had no chance of getting on the computer. Then last weekend, I was really tired from my camp...and then this past weekend was my field-trip to St. Louis.. I bet you guys don't want to hear about that ^^;

First, the shout outs!

**Kanika Meskhenet-** Ding ding ding! You've got it! Don't worry, sometimes the ones who look more into the detail of things will usually get it right!

**RenesmeeScarlet-** That wasn't it, but thanks for trying! Yeah, I'm trying to give her an actual personality, you know, things like that..

And the contest for figuring out what Hina's name means in Japanese still goes on!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts in any way, shape or form. Also, I forgot to put this in one of my chapters, but I recently found out that Wayne Allwine (the voice of Mickey) died...in May XP But It was still so sad....RIP Wayne Allwine!

%&%

Chapter Three: Training Tactics

%&%

Kairi watched from beneath the shade of one of the coconut trees as the two boys stretched. Most girls would've thought she was watching them just for the heck of it-- which any girl would, but it was actually for something else.

Since King Mickey's letter, the trio had been planning their training regimen. How much to stock potions, accessories, elixirs and any other things that they might need. Well, today was the first day of the training, so they still had a lot of things to work on. Besides keeping Sora and Riku at the top of their game, there was also the need of how to get Kairi prepared.

That part of the problem had been on the auburn-girl's mind since she read the letter three days ago. Kairi knew that she wanted to help out the two in any way she could, but she wasn't sure as to how. Obviously, it would be with that keyblade that Riku gave her, so she knew that Riku wouldn't mind her helping out. But there was Sora.

A small smile came upon her lips as she remembered what he had said after they read the letter for the second time.

%&%

_Sometime while reading the letter, well, Kairi was re-reading it, Riku had left the two of them alone. She didn't actually notice that he was gone until she had lifted her eyes up from the page. _

"_Hey Sora, where's Riku?" She looked over at him and saw that his eyes were shut, as if they were closed in thought. Being as he was, Kairi figured he didn't see the tall blond leave either. _

"_What?" He opened them and looked around, now noticing the same thing his companion noticed. "Aw man..." He muttered under his breath, which made her giggle. He turned his head to look at her with a curious expression. "What's so funny?"_

"_You," she breathed, now giggling harder at seeing his playful-yet-curious face. It was one of the things she liked about him, his naive nature. She sighed before looking back at the message that was in the boy's hands, her eyes locking onto the small P.S. Note that King Mickey included. With a smile on her face, Kairi tilted her head in a questioning manner._

"_Sora?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_What did the King mean by the last part of the letter?" And as if on cue, Sora's slightly tanned cheeks grew pinker and then red. _

"_Uh...well..." He reached with one hand to scratch the back of his head, at a loss for words while he held the letter in his other hand._

_Again, Kairi giggled, but only softly as she could now see that he was having a bit of a hard time with admitting his fears. She already knew this, ever since that moment in the sewers a year ago when he told her that 'she'd be in the way.' Still, she wanted to actually hear the words; the simple yet complicated words that Sora would say that explained his feelings for her. But, she expected that it would be awhile before he'd actually get around to it. He was, after all, 'a lazy bum.'_

"_Hey Kairi? What was up with the drawing in the cave?" She was taken by surprise by his question that countered her previous question. She blinked a few times before blushing. "Did you draw that?" He went on._

"_Um...well, yeah." She looked towards the sand and their shoes, now not wanting to meet his eyes. That, and her already pinked cheeks were darkening in tone as the seconds went by. "Why, is there something you wanted to say?" She asked coyly, trying to look at him with her eyes raised looking through her red bangs while keeping her head down, all at the same time._

"_No...but thanks." Kairi's head shot up. She was so sure that he was going to say those three words...well, three_ different_ words other than the ones he had just said.._

_For a moment, she stared at him, Sora's face now blank of emotion just staring outward to the ocean. The way he looked; so calm, so much older and a little more sure of himself. He had definitely grown since she talked like this a year ago. But, he still had the same quirks about him that made sure, he was still the same Sora she knew._

"_I don't want you to go."_

_Kairi blinked, hearing the comment coming from completely out of nowhere. "What?" He turned his head to face her._

"_I don't want you to go," he repeated. "I don't want to lose you again, Kai...do you even know how sad I was when I heard that Axel whisked you away from the island.."_

_Kairi's eyes grew moist as he said this, and she at a lost for words. When she did try to speak, Sora went on._

"_Still... King Mickey's right. You're needed in this journey, and I can't stop or change that..." Now, along with her moistened eyes, Kairi's cheeks stared heating up. "...But, even if you have to come, that's not going to stop me in protecting you....."_

%&%

Those words still warmed her heart, and every time she saw Sora, his voice would replay over and over in her ming. So what if he didn't say what she hoped for him to say? At least he was getting there...well, almost.

Finally, the two boys had stopped stretching, and had actually gone onto the training without her starting them off. Oh well, at least she was able to watch them fight anyway. The way they parried and shouted out witty banter almost reminded her of the duels they would have when they were younger. Only difference was, any technique lost or gained from this could help them in saving the worlds.

"Come on, Sora. You're not already at your peak, are you?"

"Please, Riku. I was just making sure that you weren't taking it so hard from my attacks!"

Kairi shook her head with a sigh. At least the two were their original selves when it came to fighting. After about a long hour or two, she watched Riku sink to his knees, Way to the Dawn far out of his reach, which signaled defeat.

Pointing a hand towards Sora, she yelled out "Sora wins!"

Riku smirked as he picked up his blade from the sand. "You just won because your girlfriend said so," he whispered to his opponent.

Sora's face went completely red, making the older teen laugh even harder. "What's that supposed to mean? I beat you fair and square. Admit it Riku, you lost only to my awesome skills," he added with a grin, while pointing at his own chest with his thumb.

"Maybe, maybe not," Riku shrugged as he pulled out a potion from his pocket. "In any case, it looks like I've taught you well." After drinking the potion, he patted the younger boy on the shoulder. "Good luck with beating Kairi, though."

As the said girl came closer, she noticed that Sora was about to have a panic attack. "Wha-what? B-b-b-but I..she..what?"

She shrugged as Riku walked away and Sora kept stuttering. "I called 'winner', right? And there's no better way to teach me how to fight, is if I don't learn how." She had a point, but as willing as she appeared to combat, there still hung an air of nervousness around her.

Sora on the other hand, felt just the opposite—somewhat. He wanted to help Kairi in any way he could, but hurting her was the very last thing he wanted to do. He looked at her with a solemn expression. It was bad enough that he didn't want her to come, but now he was going to have to hurt her as well? Even if should be healed with potions and his Curaga spell, there was no potion nor spell in the world that would heal his heart if he did wound her.

"Fine." He sighed, but then raised an eyebrow as he saw how quickly Kairi summoned her keyblade. Kairi only shrugged a response.

"Riku showed me while you were getting some more rings. That way, I wouldn't have to ask him every single time to summon it while we're in between battles." Then, with a frown, she added, "although I haven't gotten the hang of making it go away when I'm done."

Sora chuckled at this. "Yeah, it'll do that sometimes. But all you gotta do is...well, I'll show you after we're done, okay?" As Kairi nodded, Sora titled his head in curiosity. "By the way, have you figured out it's name yet?"

"No really...it appeared in my mind once, but I forgot...slashing away at the heartless was too fun, that it went in one ear and out the other," she said with a shy grin.

Sora took the keyblade, holding it once in his hand as a voice appeared in his mind before he gave the weapon back to Kairi. "I think the name is... Islet Memories."

Kairi waved the keyblade around in her hand, mulling over the name. "Sound nice--"

"OI! Are you two going to stand around and flirt all day, or are you going to fight?" Riku yelled from his spot. The pair stared at him, both faces turning redder than Kairi's hair before looking in opposite directions.

After awhile, they face each other, Sora rubbing the back of his neck while Kairi rubbed her arm.

"Yeah...so..." Sora began, now looking towards the sand.

"Um...ready when you are." Kairi agreed, now finding the sky very interesting.

"All right, then. Ready? Set...Begin!" Riku shouted, and the two took to their stances, before Kairi rushed at Sora. Holding the keyblade, she swung it at him, but he dodge-rolled away.

Now it was Sora's turn, and he spun around to hit her with the Kingdom Key, but she had twirled around and was now behind him. The move was so fast, it was almost faster than his Reversal move.

_'She's quick,'_ he thought. _'That's very good for her, it'll help her if she doesn't have a lot of strength.'_ As he tried to swing at her again, he barely hit her knee as she jumped backward. This time, he rushed forward at her, using the Explosion ability and as she tried to jump again, the aftermath lifted her higher than she wanted to go. Kairi flailed her arms before landing on the sand, now all shaken up.

When she regained her composure, she saw Sora heading towards her once again. This time, she did another jump, but pointed Islet Memories at him and heart beams shot out from the tip. They grew larger and began to circle Sora, enclosing him in a circle and getting closer with each timed beat. He managed to jump out at the last second, but his left foot was still caught by the hearts as they exploded in a fury when colliding with each other.

"Wow." He whispered, still flinching from the pain in his lower leg, but it would be healed later, he could still fight. Seeing that the girl had finally landed once again, he ran towards her, now using sliding-dash to get a hit in her. The sound of his keyblade was deafened by a cry.

"Ahhh!" Sora stopped immediately, whirling around to see Kairi bent over. She was clutching her right arm as she kept her face down and turned away from looking at him.

"Oh-my-gosh, Kairi!" Sora rushed towards her, craning his neck to try and get a better look at the injury he caused. However, as he tried to get closer each time, she turned away even further. He wanted to know what had really hurt, and why she was giggling—wait, giggling?

It all seemed to go quickly, as soon as he even laid a hand on his shoulder, Kairi quickly used Swift Heel—the new ability she used earlier, and was now behind Sora once again with the blade up against the back of his neck.

The sign of defeat.

As Riku claimed Kairi the winner, all Sora could do was blink rapidly for a few minutes. She tricked him! He hadn't hurt her at all and she used his sympathy against him; she used it to her advantage in defeating him.

Kairi giggled at this, unable to resist laughing at his widened eyes and gaping mouth.

"S-s-sorry," she choked out in between breaths. "But your face...it's hilarious!" After awhile Sora too, regained his composure and laughed with her as well. Once the giggles had ceased, Sora was the first to speak.

"But, why? I thought I'd hurt you or something."

"Oh...well, Sora...sometimes, you worry too much." She shrugged. Then, as she stepped closer towards him, she whispered, " but that's one of the things I love best about you."

As soon as she had said it, the color of red once again grew upon the boy's cheeks, more than usual. Their faces were so close, yet only mere inches apart....Sora couldn't tell if his head was moving forward, or if she was moving in closer...Their eyes began to close until...

They quickly jerked away, now hearing Riku's footsteps coming closer as the shoes made soft thudding noises on the sand.

%&%

As usual, the trio ended the day sitting upon the large, bent, Paopu tree, watching the sun set. Like previous years, they sat in their usual spots: Sora and Kairi both on the tree trunk, while Riku leaned his back against it. Only this time, Kairi sat in the middle between them.

There wasn't much to talk about, with it being the first day of actual training, yet there was a lot going through the young teens' minds.

Sora was, again, the first to speak against the silence, voicing a thought that might as well been on their minds at that moment. "Hey Kai....?"

" Yes?"

"That move you did...when were were battling....what was that? Y'know, with all of the hearts and everything?"

Kairi turned her focus away from the sunset, and towards the sand below them. "Oh that." She paused for a moment, trying to think about the question and the event. "I really don't know...I think that was another ability I learned or something."

Sora shifted in place before responding. "Well, it's gotta have a name....How about...'Heart Attack'?"

Riku shook his head with a sigh. " That's really funny, Sora. But don't you think that's a little too--"

He was stopped as Sora and Kairi both, began laughing at the new name, enjoying it's pun and intended meaning. Riku smirked as he looked at the pair with fondness and knowing.

_'Those two were really made for each other....'_

%&%

((And there you go, chapter three...finally ^^

Anyway, I just want to clear something up: I know how most people say that Kairi has blue eyes, but sometimes she has violet, and I kinda think that's prettier...plus, Tetsuya Nomura keeps changing the color (not that I don't mind) so I'm keeping it the latter.

Also, yes, unlike most gamers, I keep using Kingdom Key but I change keyblades with the drives..... .......don't look at me like that!

Oh, and I suppose it doesn't help that I start school next Thursday, but I have most of the chappies written out, so that's good.

Read and Review!))


	4. Chapter 4: Under a Watchful Eye

((A/N: Wow...it's been awhile, hasn't it? Well, the only excuse for me is schoolwork...and my dog ^^; anyway, it's not all bad though, I've been able to get about..up to chapter 5 done.

Yeah...that's bad..Oh well..here's chapter 4, and I'm warning you: this is more of a filler chapter, so don't expect too much.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts in any way shape or form; but I do own my KH1 game, KH2, and Hina and Shiro..and Rainbow Canyon which exists in the northern region of my brain where it's sunny.

%&%

Chapter 4: Under a Watchful Eye

%&%

A lone figure walked through the streets, not paying any mind to how dark the alleys were. In fact, the whole region was dark, save for the few lights in the buildings around and the glow coming from an abnormally-shaped moon from above.

The moon looked like a huge heart, odd that it was large moon than needed be, but this heart-moon also had a heart-shaped hole inside. Small hearts in hues of red and pink floated towards the moon, covering the gap, though it looked to be their task would take a long while.

The figure stopped once to look up at the moon, his amber yellow eyes gazing at it's splendor. Only a whisper escaped his lips as he said the moon's name.

"Kingdom Hearts..."

He brushed a few strands of dark gray hair from his slightly tanned face, leaving a smile on his lips. With a blink of his eyes, his whole body faded into nothing, as if he were invisible, or intangible. Only his eyes were seen as they floated towards the large white castle that was in the distance. Once the pair of eyes had reached a window, they ceased to a stop, floating in mid-air as they watched a scene unfold inside.

The first to appear in the eyes' view was a woman; one with dark green skin and a very model-like face. Her hair wasn't shown for it was hidden underneath a horned hat, which had actually complemented with the cape and gown she wore.

"I knew I would acquire this castle for my own. It's the most marvelous place for me to plan my takeover for Kingdom Hearts!" The old witch cackled as she lifted her scepter into the air with triumph.

Just then, a loud knock came at the door before it burst open with a large cat running in, wearing red, blue, with pockets and zippers in various places.

"Maleficent," he began, coming to a halt as he saw the woman raise an eyebrow at his action. "Your guests are here..."

"Oh? Well, let them in."

Pete nodded as he turned around and waved his hand to bring in the guests, all were looking around the room as they walked in. They looked to be mesmerized at the huge castle and it's interior. Once in the room, one of the figures turned towards another one.

"Are you sure we can't steal something in here, instead of back on our world?" He whispered, cupping his hand to hide the widening grin forming, although it wasn't hard for Maleficent to notice, due to the fact that the man's hand had braces on it, and the claws accidentally came out.

"See that you do, and I shall send my fleet of Heartless onto your very being, with no mercy at that," she commented loudly for him to here. The man straightened back up, still having the grin on his lips, but not looking so sinister after the woman's threat.

"Forgive my associate, Sa'luk," the other man replied, keeping his profile covered with a blue hat and cloak, only his eyes showing. "Rest assured, he won't be doing any of that."

"Whatever you say, Cassim," the clawed man shrugged, before folding his hands.

"I'd understand why you'd want to steal. Why, this place would bring in more gold than my crew's destination!" Another man, very round and plump, exclaimed.

Maleficent rolled her eyes, noting at how there were treasure-fanatics in her company. "Perhaps I shouldn't have enlisted their help," she muttered softly. "Now. I hope that all of you will be of some use to me than my last accomplices were--"

"Unlike them, we aren't as power-hungry for hearts, or will use them to our advantage." The fourth man, this one looking very regal and spiritual-like, had pointed out. He kept his hands within the longs sleeves of his robes as his eyes kept looking about in the room.

"I have to say, though, for a witch, you're less evil than I feared," he added with an eyebrow raised at the other three men.

"I shall take that as a compliment, then." Maleficent turned her attention back towards Cassim and Sa'luk. "Now, I remember that you've told me that you two were in search of something very valuable in your world."

"You've heard right," Cassim nodded. "What you've heard is the Oracle.."

"The Oracle?" Pete repeated. "But I thought that was a myth."

Cassim shook his head as Sa'luk smirked, now revealing the man's toothy grin. "I can assure you, it _is_ real, just like the Hand of Midas."

"Yes, yes, the Hand of Midas. That's all you ever talk about!" Sa'luk exasperated, rolling his eyes at his friend's words.

The regal-holy man stepped forward, his attention back onto the conversation. "Such a poor thing to do, wasting your prayers on an object of folklore."

The plump man couldn't help but chuckle. "As if your precious church is any higher." The regal man looked taken back, a hand over his chest in shock.

"How _dare_ you talk about my cathedral that way!"

"_Your_ cathedral? I thought it belonged to the people.?"

"Of course, but I _am_ the judge of the court, and as such--"

"**SILENCE!**" Maleficent's voice boomed through the room. "Enough of your useless bickering. Now, as we were Cassim...is it possible to use the Oracle?" The room was silent for a long while, as the people inside were still a little spooked by the woman's outburst against them. Finally, Cassim answered her question.

"Yes," he began, clearing his throat. "It is possible...if the rumors are true. We can use it to our advantage, after we obtain it." Maleficent smiled before Cassim went on. "However, it will only take one question per person, if the rumors are true."

"No matter. We're all for the same thing, right? Of course, we have other matters to attend to as well..."

"Like the Hand of Midas," Cassim nodded.

"Like more gold than a king could ever have," the plump, well-dressed man's eyes sparkled.

"Like a more perfect, gypsy-ridden world," the holy-man agreed.

"And of course, the heart of all of the worlds!" Maleficent reminded them, and soon, the six of them all began to cackle, chuckle, and any other evil laugh there was.

%&%

The pair of amber eyes began descend from the window, finished with the scene that had finished. They floated back towards the ground, until they were about six feet above the actual floor. Then, the air around them began to thicken and swirl, turning back into the figure from before.

He tugged the hood of his long gray cloak before turning his face back towards the castle. His amber-gold eyes were still glowing amidst the dark shadows that came from his hood.

In his dark velvety voice from before, he said to himself, "It appears that they're looking for the same thing as I. Perhaps I'll have to keep them under a watchful eye.." And with that, he turned while placing a hand out in the air.

A dark swirl of air appeared, and he stepped inside, leaving without a trace in The World that Never Was.

%&%

((Yeah...like I said, this really wasn't all that good. Curse you filler chapters and your lack of a plot....oh well, it's still in the exposition stage, so once the first complications come in, the story will get better....Hopefully.

Please, Read and Review..oh, and any guesses as to what the first few worlds will be? I gave you hints with Maleficent's new army.

PS- You guys get to see more of Hina next chapter, okay?))


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